In the early 2000s, digital technology was on the rise. Many claimed that it wouldn’t work in the label industry, where flexo dominated. But a minority had a clear vision that digitally printed labels had a promising future, and that vision has become reality. According to Smithers Pira, today 13% of all labels (30% in value) are produced by digital methods, a figure expected to grow further.

A turning point arrived in 2011, when the concept of Industry 4.0 was first introduced by Bosch and the German Academy of Science & Engineering. Industry 4.0 refers to the concept of smart factories, where machines are augmented with wireless connectivity and sensors, fully integrated to an intelligent system that can visualize the entire production line, control, and make decisions on its own. The concept has moved into the packaging industry and some call it Packaging 4.0. But what does it mean for label production?

The answer, if you look at recent technology developments, is clear. Just witness the transformation in the food and pharma industry due to the connectivity and automation in the supply chain. Think of the transformation that is happening in the automotive industry due to the evolution of additive manufacturing (3D printing) and on-demand complex part production. All of us can testify the evolution of the banking industry and Peer2Peer instant exchange, based on internet connectivity and advanced cybersecurity technologies. Finally, just look at the transformation of the retail market with online shopping and the use of big data. Governments have even used big data to fight against the spread of COVID-19!

Labels will follow the same path. In less than 10 years, the entire label production line may be fully digitalized with machines performing all tasks. It’s a bit like in the movie Forbidden Planet, where robots make and maintain robots to operate an entire planet. In labels, automation and artificial intelligence are not science fiction but a reality that is about to happen.

What will the future of label production look like?

How will it work? Simply and with less human intervention. The PDF you use today to create your plates or to drive your digital front end (DFE) will get richer and smarter. It will contain supply chain data, location of delivery, even a smart contract to speed up time to market. And in addition to the design data, it will also encompass and communicate all the necessary information required to drive the entire production process.

OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) and manufacturing best practices will systematically improve the manufacturing process. Connected and fully digitalized modules will receive the data, proactively allocate production time and equipment availability, and perform the task – print artwork, embellishment and finishing requirements will all be embedded in one single file.

After loading a given substrate – and this could later be done by robots – digitalized modules will take care of the entire process. Printing – mainly inkjet – will start at 100 m/m. Then digital embellishment will be managed with inkjet solutions like you have seen today from MGI or Scodix and others to come. Finally, the finishing will be performed by lasers cutting solutions.

What is missing is the integration of all currently available technologies within a proper workflow. But this is not rocket science, and in less than 10 years it will be achieved. Simply imagine that you start with your PDF encompassing all the data in a form similar to Optional Content Groups (OCDs) (commonly referred as layers) and each layer has two pieces of identifying metadata attached to it: GROUP, which identifies what kind of processing step this is – for example “Structural”, “Dimensions”, “Braille”, “Legend”, “White”, “Varnish” etc. – and TYPE, which identifies the type of processing step in that particular group – for example in the group “Structural”, possible types could include “Cutting”, “Creasing”, “Gluing” and so on.

Then, at each step of the production process, cameras will check all the production steps extracting data from the first inkjet drop to the latest laser cut. All the data, with closed loop solutions, will be used to ensure that each machine task is performed well and at the same time, the data will be consolidated in what we call a TWIN PDF. This machine-created PDF will then be compared with the original one, and if both are the same, you can be sure that the production is ready to be shipped with the necessary quality requirements. Statistical collection of data and machine learning algorithms will be constantly improving quality and productivity and less and less human intervention will be needed. Printing will be part of streamed, fully automated supply chain process. This is Packaging 4.0.

Making this vision a reality

Just like back in the early 2000s with digital printing, many are predicting it won’t work. But a determined few will make it happen, and smart factories will be a reality sooner than you imagine. This change in label production will enable new business models where labels will be produced on-demand, reducing stocks and waste. It will also help move the industry development from mass production to mass customization.

Quality will be guaranteed, reducing product recalls, and press operators will have far less to know, helping converters who currently often struggle to attract the proper skills.

So, as a converter, what do you need to do? First, if you have not yet started to practice digital printing, now is the time. A Bobst press is already running at up to 100 m/m, six colors plus white, embellishment and finishing modules, all easy to operate with very competitive economics. 

Second, you need to practice workflow solutions. There are many suppliers of solutions, the challenge is that it requires digitally savvy people to use them and your current flexo operator won’t have necessary the proper skillset. Last, you will need to rethink the way you sell labels. This is not anymore about productivity and price – this is about added value services such as helping your clients to have the proper labels when they want and where they want, and soon web-to-label solution will be as popular as web-to-print solutions for marketing collaterals.

Will it happen? If you look around, you are already surrounded by so many smart systems and products – manufacturing lines are so advanced, smart factories are reality in many industries already, cars can drive solo, planes can take off and land automatically, Google is talking about you, behind you. We are already in a fully digitalized world and packaging production won’t be an exception. It is a change and change can be painful – but there is nothing as painful as being left behind. Now is the time to embrace the digitalization of label production, to be ready for tomorrow today.